This sandstone arch in Kentucky formed before humans existed and you can stand on top

It’s older than you can wrap your head around

Natural Bridge State Resort Park sits in eastern Kentucky, a couple of miles from Slade and right on the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

The centerpiece is a sandstone arch that’s been forming since before humans existed, carved by water and wind into something that looks like it belongs in Utah, not Appalachia.

And unlike a lot of natural wonders, you don’t just look at this one from a distance. You walk across the top of it.

What’s on the other side is worth the climb.

A railroad put this place on the map

Before there was a state park here, there was a train.

In the 1890s, the Lexington and Eastern Railroad started running excursion trips to the arch, and people rode in from as far as Cincinnati just to see it.

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad took over the land in 1910, and by 1926, L&N’s president handed over about 137 acres to the Kentucky State Park Commission.

That made Natural Bridge one of Kentucky’s original four state parks, a designation it’s held ever since.

Ride the sky lift up through the forest canopy

If hiking isn’t in the plan, the sky lift handles the climb for you.

It’s a chairlift-style ride that covers about a mile through the tree canopy and takes roughly 11 minutes to reach the top of the ridge. From the drop-off point, a short walk brings you to the base of the arch.

The lift runs daily from the first weekend in April through the last weekend in October. A lot of people ride it up, then take one of the trails back down.

Squeeze through the rock to reach the arch top

The Original Trail is the oldest way up to the arch, dating back to the 1890s.

It runs about three-quarters of a mile with a steady climb and limestone steps, plus three trail shelters built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

Near the top, you pass through Fat Man’s Squeeze, a narrow slot through the rock that opens beneath the arch. Once you’re up, the arch spans 78 feet across and stands 65 feet high.

It’s about 20 feet wide, and yes, you can walk the full length of it.

More than 20 miles of trails cut through the ridges

The park has 10 trails ranging from a half mile to 7.5 miles.

The Balanced Rock Trail takes you to a formation where one boulder sits on top of another, like it’s daring gravity to do something about it. The Sand Gap Trail is the longest at 7.5 miles and the hardest.

Five miles of the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail also run through the park, connecting it directly to the Red River Gorge.

Dogs are welcome only on the Whittleton Trail because most of the park carries nature preserve status.

Two more arches hide along the Whittleton Trail

The Whittleton Trail follows an old railroad bed along Whittleton Branch creek for about four miles out and back, crossing five bridges, some with footings left over from the original rail line.

It ends at Whittleton Arch, the largest arch by mass in the entire Red River Gorge area.

A shorter side trip drops into a sinkhole where Henson’s Cave Arch sits beside a waterfall inside a limestone cave formation. Both are accessible from the Whittleton Campground.

A 1,200-acre preserve protects what the trails can’t

About half the park, 1,200 acres, carries formal nature preserve status as of 1981. The federally endangered Virginia big-eared bat lives here.

The Hood Branch watershed inside the preserve ranks among the most diverse water-based ecosystems in the Kentucky River system. More than 118 plant species grow in the preserve, including patches of old-growth forest.

The terrain shifts from dry ridgetop forest to streamside wetland across four distinct plant communities, all within the same park boundary.

Hoedown Island keeps an Appalachian tradition alive

On Saturdays from spring through October, Hoedown Island comes to life at 6:30 p.m. A square dance caller walks you through Appalachian square dancing, line dances, clogging, waltzes, and polkas.

The tradition has run continuously for more than half a century, and the event welcomes first-timers. A warm-up session at the start makes sure nobody’s standing around confused.

Bleachers and space for lawn chairs line the sides for anyone who’d rather watch the dancing than join it.

Mill Creek Lake sits below sandstone cliffs

Mill Creek Lake covers 60 acres and backs up against sandstone cliffs and forest.

Largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie, and rainbow trout all live here, and the park runs a free fishing equipment loan program, so you don’t need to haul gear.

Kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals run seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The lake also draws birders looking for pileated woodpeckers, northern cardinals, and wild turkeys working the tree line along the water’s edge.

The Nature Center explains how all of this got here

The Nature Center sits on the ground floor of the Activities Center and takes you through the geology behind the arch and the surrounding rock formations.

Exhibits cover the park’s plants, animals, and local history.

Full-time naturalists run programs year-round for all ages, and during the season, ranger-led hikes and educational sessions go deeper into what you’re seeing on the trails.

If you’ve ever looked at a sandstone arch and wondered how millions of years of erosion actually work, this is where you find out.

Drive through a tunnel blasted out of solid rock

A few minutes from the park, the Nada Tunnel cuts 900 feet through solid rock.

Workers blasted it between 1910 and 1911 using dynamite, steam machinery, and hand tools for the Dana Lumber Company, which needed a rail line to haul timber to a sawmill in Clay City, about 15 miles away.

The tunnel is 12 feet wide and 13 feet high, room enough for one car at a time.

Today, it’s a one-lane road, and for most visitors coming into the Red River Gorge, it’s the first thing they pass through.

More than 100 arches wait just outside the park boundary

The Red River Gorge Geological Area starts right where the park ends and covers about 29,000 acres. More than 100 natural sandstone arches sit inside that boundary, the highest concentration east of the Rocky Mountains.

The gorge holds designations as a National Natural Landmark, a National Archaeological District, and a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Rock climbers from around the world come for the sandstone cliffs.

If you want to take in the whole canyon system without lacing up your boots, the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway runs a 40-mile loop through it.

Stay inside the park at Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Kentucky

Natural Bridge State Resort Park sits at 2135 Natural Bridge Road in Slade, about 52 miles southeast of Lexington off the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway at exit 33.

Hemlock Lodge has 35 rooms with private balconies looking out over the forest and stays open year-round. The park also has 11 cottages and two campgrounds with both improved and primitive sites.

The Sandstone Arches Restaurant inside the lodge serves meals built around local Kentucky meats and produce. Check the official website for current rates and availability.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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